Title: The Exclamation Series Part 3: For Crying Out Loud! (Sequel to Oh Crap! and Holy Hannah!)

Author: Su Freund

Email: su.freund@blueyonder.co.uk

Website: (all of my stories can be found here)

Status: CompleteSeries

Category: Romance / fluff with some angst thrown in for good measure.

Pairings: Jack & Sam

Spoilers: Small references to Singularity, Within the Serpent's Grasp

Season: 7 or later

Sequel/Series Info: Sequel to my two companion pieces, "Oh Crap!" and "Holy Hannah!".

Rating: (SF:? Any thought Bonnie?) PG ?

Content Warnings: Minor use of bad language (but nothing worse than appears in the show)

Summary: Jack dreads the barbecue he spontaneously arranged for Sam and her visiting family.

Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Stargate (II) Productions, Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. This story is for entertainment purposes only and no money exchanged hands. No copyright infringement is intended. The original characters, situations, and story are the property of the author. This story may not be posted elsewhere without the consent of the author. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author. Copyright © 2003 Su Freund

File Size (kb): 63 KB46

Author's Note: Thanks to all those who asked for a sequel to my two companion pieces. How could I resist the call? They were kind of begging for one. And thanks Bonnie for being such a wonderful beta and making great suggestions (and correcting my UK English to US English). But, of course, any, mistakes are wholly mine.

For Crying Out Loud!

O'Neill's House 13.20

"Aw, for crying out loud!" Jack exclaimed loudly to himself. He couldn't imagine what had possessed him. Why the hell had he even suggested this barbecue? He knew full well that Sam's brother was not really a military friendly guy. They'd be bound to get on like a house of fire. That's what worried him. flame and wood, a combustible mixture. He had never understood why that phrase was meant to indicate people that got on well together rather than the reverse.

Jack was desperately trying to get everything ready for his guests' arrival, which he was now dreading. He'd been so caught up in the moment; seeing Sam in the park like that, thinking her brother was a boyfriend. He'd got carried away, so relieved was he when he found out the truth, and so bowled over by Sam's exposed midriff and the belly button ring. Wondering whether she would wear something similar today, he smiled dreamily to himself at the memory. He seriously doubted it, he could tell she'd been embarrassed to get caught out by him wearing that stuff. Couldn't stop a man from hoping, though.

He so prayed that he and Mark wouldn't get into an argument. He didn't want to humiliate Sam by beating the crap out of the guy because he'd made some smart remark about the military. He certainly didn't want to get Sam pissed with him, he could do that quite easily without any outside help. Sometimes he got mightily fed up with this CO / 2IC thing. She'd seen him at his worst and, he guessed his best. It was the seeing him at his worst part that bothered him. He knew he could be a total bastard sometimes and wondered how she could stomach it. He couldn't always do that himself. He hated the idea that she might come to despise him because of it, but he could only be himself. Either she accepted that, or he was lost.

Peering in the mirror, he sighed and wondered whether he would look OK to her. He was getting old and it bothered him sometimes. He didn't think he was in such bad shape given his age, and the occupational hazards. Did she even see him that way anymore? As ever, he was full of self-doubt and had to admit grudgingly that he was freaked by this whole thing; as nervous as hell. Dumb, he knew. He felt like a spotty teenager waiting to go out on a date with the seemingly unattainable prom queen.

He thought only women changed clothing about 50 times before deciding what to wear. He'd already tried on a number of different shirts in an effort to look his best. It was crazy. Generally he didn't really give a flying fig about his appearance. Ok, so he had his vain moments, but not like this. What had got into him? Although he kept trying to convince himself it was because Mark was coming and he wanted to make a good impression, he knew deep down that Mark wasn't the Carter that he wanted to impress. Looking at his watch he sighed;, 10 minutes and counting. For crying out loud, Jack, get a grip! God, he hoped they weren't early.

*******

Carter's House 13:20

Meanwhile, at the Carter residence things were no better. Mark was being a pain. If her sister-in-law, Jane, had been there Sam might have been able to manage him easier. But Jane had been unable to come. He'd done nothing but grumble and moan all morning about why Sam had accepted this invitation. He kept threatening to pretend one of the kids was ill so he could skip it. While Sam herself had major reservations, she was adamant that she had accepted the invite and they had to go. (DN: I don't think there is a canon name for Mark's wife either, unless you know any better. Can't find anything.)

She was also thinking about her attire. After the embarrassment of the belly button thing, she would rather be a bit more demure today. On the other hand, the colonel'sJack's reaction had been rather flattering. Nothing wrong with being flattered by a handsome man, she thought. He would never believe she would wear something similar again in his presence. She could surprise him. Picking up yet another top, she put it on knowing that they were going to be late.

She was cursing herself for accepting the invitation. It wasn't something she had wanted. That's why she'd avoided telling the guys in the first place. She'd been distracted by that very sexy vision of the colonelJack that day and said yes without thinking. Not for the first time, she wondered whether the colonel practised mesmerism.

Looking in the mirror at her final choice of clothing, she wondered whether the colonelJack would like what he saw when she arrived there. She rather fancied that he would. Smiling to herself, she hurried to get going with Mark and the kids.

*******

O'Neill's House 13:45

For crying out loud, where is everyone? They were all overdue by at least 15 minutes and Jack fretted as he paced around his living room. The barbecue was busily getting hot outside and he had food to cook, drinks to make, yadda yadda yadda. [ I think its usually three in a row ??]. He was relieved when Daniel and Teal'c came, and fussed around fixing them drinks and getting snacks. He didn't want to start the cooking until everyone was here. He hoped Carter wasn't going to call with some lame excuse like one of the kids was ill or something. This little party was, after all in her honour. He hastily corrected his own thoughts; in her brother's honour, in Mark's honour. That's what he'd meant. Yeah, sure you betchya.

The Carters arrived about 40 minutes late, with CarterSam a little flustered and very apologetic. Jack almost gasped aloud when he saw her and thought he would forgive her almost anything in that moment. She had defied all his expectations. Jack wasn't big on surprises but thought he would make this one an exception. He looked appreciatively at Sam, then pulled himself back under control.

Jack thought her clothing especially provocative, more so than when they had met in the park. Her top left more to the imagination, and he liked that. Sam wore one of those things that almost covered her belly, but not quite. It left a gap that totally made him shiver all over to look at; he could see her belly button ring winking at him and daring him to make a smart remark. The top was an attractive shade of green that made her eyes look like the ocean on a bright and sunny day.

The top, however, was not the end of it. She was wearing a pair of shorts. He was totally knocked out as the most he ever saw of her legs was when she was in a dress uniform. He silently wondered why she never showed them off more and, when she caught him looking, felt himself reddening a little. She smiled as if suppressing a laugh and he returned the smile somewhat sheepishly. For crying out loud Jack, get yourself under control. This is nuts.

He brought himself back to reality and started making the introductions. He had phoned his friends beforehand to check on stories and they had decided that they should lie as little as possible. Sam warily watched Jack and her brother; she could have sworn that they were like a pair of dogs, sniffing each other's asses.

"And this is Teal'c." From under his hat, Teal'c inclined his head towards Mark in the normal Teal'c manner.

"Teal'c?" Mark sounded puzzled by the name and Daniel tried to come to the rescue.

"Yeah, Teal'c. An old African name. Interesting, actually. It has a fascinating history." He opened his mouth as if to explain further. Daniel was starting to get concerned about his ability to bullshit around this one. He looked imploringly at Jack, who took pity on him.

"Yes Daniel." Jack said in his most condescending and intolerant tone, raising his eyes to the heavens and patting Daniel on the back. "Some other time, perhaps." And he smiled thinly. Daniel pretended to take offence and look slightly pained, while Sam concealed a grin.

"You're a linguist, Dr Jackson?" asked Mark. "I can't imagine how that figures in deep space radar telemetry" This could get tricky and Sam sighed inwardly. Jack could see her discomfort and felt for her. Perhaps this hadn't been such a great idea. Deciding to kick himself later, he awaited Daniel's response with interest.

"Um." Daniel replied, stumbling over his words. "Well, it's interesting you should say that. But I'm good at spotting patterns in things, you see. Like the guy in "My Beautiful Mind", the movie? You'd have to be there to understand how it's all connected. It's a bit complicated. And call me Daniel, by the way." He tailed off, thinking he had dug enough of a hole. Mark, however, seemed satisfied with that.

"Don't you find it hard working with all these military types. Aren't they a bit. bullish?" Jack bristled and Sam groaned. The sort of thing she had been dreading.

"Excuse me?" Jack said, in a tone only he could use.

"Well you army types are all a bit fanatical aren't you?" Mark repeated, seemingly oblivious to the danger he was in.

"Oh.really.?" Jack's tone was provocative. "And actually, its Air Force , not army."

He took it as a personal slight if someone confused the different branches of the armed forces. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Sam redden with embarrassment, anger, or both. Daniel's face was the epitome of consternation, as if waiting for a land mine to explode. Teal'c merely looked. like Teal'c; stoic and forbearing. Jack cursed inwardly, thinking, "For crying out loud! If I punch this guy out Sam is going to go nuts and probably never speak to me again. Besides.it'll only get blood on my newly mowed lawn."

Aloud, in his most affable tone, he merely said. "Yeah, sure you betchya. There are some honourable exceptions however." And he smiled winningly, as if to say, naturally I'm one of those exceptions.

Sam's eyes widened, while Daniel gasped in stunned amazement. Teal'c merely cocked an eyebrow in slight puzzlement. Jack smirked inside, pleased that he'd surprised them all. He'd show them who could be diplomatic when he needed to be. Its was just lucky it wasn't Daniel's brother; if he had one he'd probably have been bleeding and in ER by now. To deflect from the moment, he turned towards Mark's kids.

"Hey, you two, want some potato chips while I get on with the cooking?" He smiled sweetly and they both fell in love.

******

18:20

Sam was both replete, and contented. The colonel sure put on a good barbecue;, he could cook a mean steak. The afternoon had gone better than she thought and she was feeling a little smug. Mark and the colonel Jack had found something in common , a love of the stars, of astronomy. Mark had been heavily into it when he was a kid. She wondered why she had almost forgotten that. The O'Neill colonel had promised that, if they stayed until it was dark, he'd take Mark up on the roof to look at the neighbours. Mark had thought that was funny and it had broken the ice a little, although Mark had continued to make the odd barbed comment about the armed forces. The Jack colonel was a perfect gentleman about it, smoothing over the cracks like an expert. Sam was both amazed and perplexed, thinking him even more complicated than even she had thought up to now.

As she had guessed, the kids fell for the O'Neill charm. He really was great with children; playing silly games with them - a little hockey for one - making them laugh at dumb jokes. She thought of the loss of his son with a pang.

In the end she'd been thrilled she'd decided to go with the shorts and the green top. It certainly got a reaction from O'Neill, although it was quickly suppressed. He was good at that. So was she for that matter,, but it had been worth it. She'd noticed his eyes on her on and off throughout the afternoon, when he thought she wasn't looking. She smiled to herself at the notion. Daniel's reaction was pretty funny too. His eyes had nearly popped out of his head, he'd stuttered slightly, then turned to look at Jack, who had smiled more or less secretively back at him. After that he'd said nothing about it, just as she'd predicted. Teal'c? He was always a bit of an enigma, but even his eyes had widened slightly upon seeing her, and she thought she saw one of those almost smiles on his face. Definitely worth it.

The colonelJack was playing hide and seek with the kids and they'd just found him. She could hear their squeals of delight as they all rushed back into the garden. Even Teal'c had joined in with the water pistol fight earlier. He seemed to like that kind of thing and she wondered where he'd picked it up from. That had ended with Jack screeching on the ground being unmercifully tickled to death by her niece and nephew. He was probably thinking they were typical Carters; pains in the asses, although he seemed to be genuinely enjoying himself.

He begged off playing with the kids to take a break and, sitting near Sam, leaned over to ask if she was OK. When she said she was getting slightly chilly, he went inside and brought back one of his warm shirts to wear. As he helped her on with it he lightly gripped her shoulders, sending shivers down her spine, and whispered gently in her ear.

"It's a pity to cover it up."

Then he manoeuvred himself round to face her, looking directly into her eyes and smiling softly. He was doing his mesmerising thing again; Sam thought she probably looked like a rabbit caught in headlights and felt slightly foolish. Jack broke the moment, disappearing to get his patio heater, as they were all so reluctant to go inside. It was still sunny but there was a chilly breeze.

Sam felt herself shivering, this time not from that breeze. The colonelJack had the ability to move her in a way that no other man ever had. It terrified her sometimes and she wanted to push him away because of it. This evening, she didn't feel like that. He'd been great all day; diplomatic, managing not to allow Mark to rile him with one of his comments. Apart from the little hiccup just after they arrived, which he had ultimately handled with aplomb, he had been courteous and downright friendly; good company. Surprisingly, he'd almost managed to restrain himself from wryly commenting about her belly button ring, but had been unable to resist it once or twice. She had expected a lot worse.

With Jack's encouragement the kids went inside to watch TV, leaving the adults in peace to watch the much more beautiful sunset. They sat amiably, drinking and munching on left over salads and other consumables. When Jack had said that word Mark had swiftly retorted with a comment about why couldn't the military just call it food like everyone else. Sam saw the colonel tense and she winced, but he didn't take the bait. She was proud of him.

******

Later, both kids had fallen asleep on the couch and Jack suggested that he and Mark take the opportunity to go onto the roof, survey the stars and planets. It was a lovely clear night and Jack had always felt that it just wasn't the same standing on them as it was looking at them. When you got there they generally looked like anywhere else you'd ever been, just without the MacDonalds or Burger King; lots of trees though. From here, however, they held a special magic that continued to fascinate him. He was jaded about some stuff, but never that. Even now it gave him a thrill. When he had seen Earth for himself from space for the very first time he had still been overawed by it.

He got up to escort Mark up to his roof and, on a whim, turned towards Sam, smiling and holding out his hand to her.

"Doctor Carter? Wanna come with?" Turning to Daniel and Teal'c, "Guys?" The guys declined but Sam laughed at his slightly mocking use of her name, meekly taking his hand and letting him lead her towards the ladder. Her heart beat quickened and she could barely breath at his touch. When they reached the bottom, Jack squeezed her hand gently then abruptly let go as if coming to his senses. He looked slightly discomforted but quickly hid it, inviting Mark to go first, then following both the Carters up. He tried not to look at Sam's pert little butt as she climbed, but without much success. For crying out loud, Jack, you're doing it again. Did he have to knock his head against the wall to make himself see sense?

When they were all at the top, Sam looked on while Jack talked Mark through his equipment then invited him to fiddle around and take a look. Much to Jack's delight, Mark was suitably impressed. Then he invited Sam to have a go, and while he showed her how it all worked, he stood so close that they could feel each other's breath. Jack's rasped shakily as her scent hit his nostrils and then he inhaled sharply to stem the sudden giddiness he was feeling. He was a hair's breadth away from enfolding her in his arms.

"Colonel, sir" Sam whispered, knowing this would pull him up short, and it worked. He leapt abruptly away as though stung by something, and let her get on with it on her own, swallowing his frustration and shaken by the turbulence he felt inside. His mind was in turmoil; he'd been so close. He couldn't do that, couldn't allow it. It was dangerous having Sam around like this. He pondered what to do about it and concluded that nothing, as usual, was probably the safest bet. Being a little pissed about doing nothing, his frustration grew and he started converting it to anger to protect himself from it; anger towards CarterSam. The bitch was deliberately teasing him and then had the gall to push him away; he cursed her inwardly. It was at this moment that Mark chose to speak.

"I'm surprised a man like you has all this stuff for star gazing." To Mark it was almost a throw away line but to O'Neill it was like a red rag to a bull.

"What the hell does that mean? Are you implying that I'm stupid, too dumb to appreciate the beauty of what's out there?"

Jack's anger surfaced rapidly, enhanced as it was by the circumstances, and he punched rather than pointed to the stars above to emphasise his words. Sam cringed, as the moment she had most dreaded seemed to be about to happen after all. Jack continued, finding an alternative target on whom to vent his frustration. He swung over to being defensive of Sam, and the whole US military, and towered over mMark menacingly..

"For crying out loud, you think all us military types are dumb asses, huh? What does that say about your own sister? I know what it tells me about you, that you're a bigot. I have gone out of my way to make you welcome here today, despite your occasional jibes at the military that you so hate and I so love. I have been the soul of tact and diplomacy, not something that comes naturally to me, I might add. And I have done all that because your sister is a friend whom I highly respect. A damned sight more than I respect you right now. I've put up with it all afternoon and I won't put up with it any more. So get the hell off my roof!"

The colonelO'Neill was shouting and Sam could see her brother slightly cowering under his fierceness. When he was angry he was pretty formidable; he almost grew horns. Then Mark drew himself up looking like he was about to challenge O'Neill and Sam hastily stepped between them.

"Guys, please! Mark! Colonel?" She pleaded, visibly upset, and Jack immediately regretted his behaviour. His temper had ruined their perfect day. He slumped slightly, suddenly feeling deflated.

"I'm sorry." He looked ashamed. "Stay, go. whatever." And he quickly disappeared down the ladder leaving Sam and her brother alone.

When he got downstairs, Daniel and Teal'c, who had heard the shouting but not the words, moved to meet him.

"What happened Jack?" Daniel enquired.

"I couldn't take any more of that self-righteous bastard. He made yet another snide comment about the military and it was the straw that broke the camel's back. Goddammit!" His frustration was evident from the expression on his face and in his eyes. "It was going so well too. Now I've ruined it. Sam will never forgive me for this." Jack strode into the house, leaving Daniel open mouthed and unable to help his friend.

******

Meanwhile, on the roof, Sam angrily stormed at her brother.

"Mark, what the hell did you have to do that for?"

"What did I do? It was him who lost his temper." Mark said petulantly, as if innocent of the whole affair. If he'd had long hair, he would have tossed it.

"Oh, for god's sake Mark, you've been making nasty little jibes about the military on and off all day. And you insulted his intelligence. How could you do that? He is very far from stupid, that I can assure you. How did you expect him to react? This is someone that's been in the military almost all his life. It is his life, god damn it! He should not have to apologise for that to you or to anyone else. Just what is so wrong about wanting to defend your country?" She paused to catch her breath, then continued before Mark could retort. "When you insult him, you insult me Mark. For crying out loud, I thought we were having a good time!" She stopped abruptly, surprised to find herself using one of the colonel's favourite expressions.

"He called me a bigot." Mark retorted. This just upset Sam all the more. Her response was delivered in cold measured tones, without the anger. It surprised Mark.

"That's because you are, Mark. You sweepingly generalise and continually make wise ass comments about the military. But you won't give the individuals within it a chance. You just pull out all your misconceptions and prejudices and make an assumption that there is something inherently wrong with them. Its time you got your head out of your ass and woke up to the real world. How dare you insult my friends. I would never do that to yours."

A tear came to Sam's eye as she struggled to keep control. Mark could see she was upset and her manner disturbed him. Unexpectedly he felt regretful, realising the truth in of at least some of what she said.

"Sam, I'm sorry. I was having a good time. So were the kids. I'm sorry I provoked him. You're right, I ruined the whole day. I'm sorry."

His words did not make her feel better.

"Perhaps we'd better go." She said miserably.

She felt sick about what had happened, hating that her brother had ruined the day and humiliated her. At the colonel's own house, for crying out loud. Right there, in front of the colonelJack! Treating him like he was stupid, how dare he do that. It was embarrassing. What would the colonelJack think? [ a lot of colonels in the last few lines.] It reflected badly on her and was her fault; she should never have agreed to this barbecue idea.

Sam felt dejected. Things had been going great, she and O'Neill had been getting along just fine. All right, so they might have got a little too close for comfort, but that was her fault too; she had been flirting outrageously, had dressed especially to provoke a reaction from him. She somehow felt that she had rejected him in that "cColonel, sir" moment, and that he had felt it very strongly. What an idiot she was. The Carters were one heck of a family that was for sure.

*******

Jack had stomped immediately up to his bedroom, trying to calm himself. Through his open window he could hear the adult Carters arguing but he couldn't quite make out the words. He'd so been enjoying the day, and then he had ruined it and that made him feel wretched. The last thing he needed was to alienate the Carter family, particularly that one special member of it. Screw the rest of them! She was the one who counted, the one whose respect he did not want to loose. He paced around the room, deliberating on how Sam would feel about all this. Crap!

She would despise him. He knew that he could be pretty menacing and Mark had looked suitably intimidated. Mark was never going to be any match for Jack, that was obvious. He had carried on regardless, hoping to provoke Mark to take a poke at him, get into a fight that would have been stupid in both conception and outcome. He had let Mark rile him when he had deliberately avoided it all day. He felt like kicking his own ass from his place right up to the mountain. He'd do it too, if he thought it would help makes things better. Of course it wouldn't. How in hell's name was he going to resolve this one?

He didn't want Sam to think any the less of him. She'd seen him provoked before, of course, but not with one of her own family. They said that blood was thicker than water and he began to hope it wasn't true. He rebuked himself for his own stupidity and thought that Sam would more than likely agree with her brother on that score. He was a dumb ass. Not always, but frequently enough that it mattered.

Jack squeezed his fists into the side of his head, trying to rid himself of the headache that had come upon him rapidly; trying to stop his brain from overloading with the frustration he felt. Boy, he either needed sex in a big way, or a fistfight. He was'ntwasn't going to get either so he leaned on his wall, taking big deep breaths. Slowly he calmed down, bringing himself back under control. He thought his blood pressure must have rocketed over the last few minutes.

As he stood there silently withdrawing into himself, he imagined he heard Carter Sam say something.

"How dare you insult my friends. I would never do that to yours."

He shook his head. It couldn't possibly really be her saying that, why would she defend him? He didn't deserve her support. He supposed that her and her brother were still arguing and he had misheard words garbled by the breeze outside. He had heard something he wanted to hear, not what was truly said.

A couple of minutes later he heard CarterSam and her brother climbing down the ladder. He guessed he had better go downstairs and say goodnight, bring a semblance of civilisation to the proceedings. If he didn't do that he'd be behaving like a child. He swallowed the bile rising in his throat at the notion of going down to face CarterSam. Taking another deep breath, he plucked up courage and moved. For crying out loud, they worked together, he had to find a way to work this out.

******

Sam and Mark had gone into the living room to pick up the kids. Daniel and Teal'c followed, trying to be solicitous. It was annoying. She heard the colonel's unmistakable step on the stairs and was scared to look up, to look at his face as he walked in the room. Sam felt ashamed; of her own brother; of how Jack might now feel towards her as a result. He could be a very unforgiving man.

Smiling weakly at him, she looked closely at his eyes and his expression was impassive, his eyes shuttered and hiding his feelings. It was so typical of Jack; of the colonel.

"Going so soon Carter?" he said dryly, unable to read her expression. Her face seemed inscrutable.

"I thought we should get the kids home, sir. " They were all pretending like nothing had happened. It was spooky and Daniel felt uncomfortable.

"Em. perhaps Teal'c and I ought to be hitting the road, too Jack?" It was spoken tentatively, part question, part statement. Jack chose to hear it as a question and broke into just about the most fake bright smile that Daniel had ever seen.

"Hey, no, Daniel, T, stay. The night is young." Jack said it carelessly as if nothing mattered, then turned back to Sam. "I'll help you get the kids to the car."

"There really is no need, sir. It's OK." She and Mark moved towards the front door, hands full, and Jack went to open it for them.

"Um. Carter?"

"Sir?"

"Can you come to see me in my office first thing on Monday, ?p Please?" He hoped his voice sounded controlled and commanding rather than weak and feeble, which is how he felt. He had to get to talk to her; dreaded that thought because he knew he was hopeless at it, but he had to resolve it. Sam merely nodded acquiescence and bid him a curt goodnight sir, which made his heart sink even further.

After he closed the door behind them he leaned against it heavily and sighed loudly. She had made her choice, supported her family, and who could blame her? Even so Jack was hurt by it; he keenly felt her rejection of him, both earlier on the roof and just now. He wondered how he was going to face her on Monday morning.

Returning to re-join Daniel and Teal'c he tried to put on a jovial front but just found Daniel's chatter irritating. He couldn't break himself out of his glum mood. He knew Daniel was only trying to cheer him up but he wanted to wallow in self pity. It was something he had down to a fine art and he got a perverse pleasure from torturing himself.

Eventually he apologised, feigned tiredness and asked them to go. Despite that Jack could be pretty daunting when he was in this sort of mood, Daniel was reluctant to leave him alone. Jack won in the end, of course, though neither Daniel nor Teal'c believed a word of his protestations that he was fine. Even Daniel didn't think he could just force their company on Jack in his own house.

After they'd gone he tried to distract himself by clearing up a little but found it didn't really help, particularly when he'd broken three of his plates in his frustrated temper. The for crying out louds, craps and other far worse expletives flying out of his kitchen had probably kept his neighbours awake. So he slumped in front of the TV with a beer or two, although he didn't even watch what was on and couldn't have said what it was. It was just moving wallpaper.

He resisted the impulse to phone CarterSam and apologise again. It would just make him feel even more stupid and clumsy, and it didn't do for a CO to have to beg his second. He was too proud, and too ashamed. He felt that his office on Monday was much safer territory. It was his domain while he was at work and he would be in control, although he had to admit he spent as little time there as possible. His mind raced with regrets and he wondered how the hell he was going to tackle this. Keeping the team together, that had to be his prime objective; keeping his life together. It disturbed him that the team and his life were so synonymous.

******

Carter's House 23.10

Sam, lay in bed unable to sleep. She and Mark had been silent all the way home and then, when they had got the kids into bed, he had been apologetic yet again, realising that he had gone too far. He had to admit to himself that O'Neill was right about the bigotry; the guy had been OK but he had got his needling in, despite that. Sam wished it was the colonelJack theat Mark was apologising to and not her. Fat chance of that. Mark would probably do anything to avoid it. He could stomach apologising to his family, albeit reluctantly sometimes, but a member of the military? It was unthinkable.

She had briefly considered calling Jack to apologise but couldn't pluck up the courage. Not yet ready to face the colonel's disapproval, Sam believed she'd rather confront the System Lords. How in the hell was she going to be prepared for him on Monday morning? The whole idea filled her with dread as she imagined the argument they might end up having. What if he wanted her off the team? She was overreacting and kept returning to that worst case scenario.

Oh, for crying out loud, Sam, calm down and then she laughed at catching herself using his expression again. She had definitely been hanging around the colonel O'Neill too long. Although he did his best to hide it, her gut told her that Jack had felt hurt and offended and she hated that she and her brother had done that to him. Recalling how good everything had seemed up to that fateful confrontation, her mind roamed through the events of the day.

Sam had regretted the 'colonel. sir' remark almost as soon as it had left her mouth. It had felt good to be that close to the colonel Jack but, despite that, had probably been the right thing to do. Although she might wish for things to be different, they weren't and probably never could be. Sighing, she speculated that this evening had just made things a whole lot worse.

For probably the millionth time she cursed their situation. To be torn between two things that you love, work and Jack, was just too cruel. She'd chosen the work, they both had. It was something worth making sacrifices for and she knew they felt the same way on that score. The colonel had even come out of retirement for it. If he hadn't done that they would never have met and she wondered whether that would have been for the best. No, she refused to regret the time she had spent as a member of his team. It was an honour and privilege to work with him, however much of a pain in the butt he could be at times.

She continued to worry about what Monday would bring with it and if it was the end for them, eventually falling asleep with thoughts of how she might make it up to him.

*****

O'Neill's House 00:05

An almost empty bottle of scotch sat on the table in front of Jack. It mocked him as if to say 'I outlasted you for a change you son of a bitch'. Jack, meanwhile, had virtually collapsed right there on his couch, TV still on. Although one would think he should be totally comatose from all the alcohol, he was restless and fitful, nightmares plaguing his sleep. He dreamed of something chasing him and he couldn't get away. It was terrifying and he woke with a start. As the nightmare came back to his fuzzy brain he realised what he was running away from - ; Carter.